Description
John Craske – Fisherman Painter in Wools
(Lesley Lougher and Jan Hillier)
A well-researched book on the life and art of John Craske, the son of a Sheringham fishing family, born in 1881. His was a life plagued by ill health and he turned initially to model making and painting to soothe his restless spirit.
He was ‘discovered’ in 1927 by an Americam poet with connections to the London and US art worlds and his career took an upward turn. When his health confined him to bed, his wife introduced him to embroidery, which he could work with while bedridden. Quite untrained, he developed his own stitch styles aiming to minimise his use of hard-to-get thread while still expressing the graphic energies of the waves and the movements of boats. He produced a series of very long panoramic works, including the ‘Panorama of the North Norfolk Coast’ and the unfinished ‘Evacuation of Dunkirk’. The book shows many of his paintings and embroideries, including, of course, the panoramas.
He died in 1943, leaving an extensive list of works, now held in collections around the world. His works have appeared in numerous exhibitions and are keenly sought-after still.
Though a small book, it is well illustrated and referenced; it corrects several errors which have appeared in previous publications on John Craske.
(210mm x 210mm, 40pp. Price: £7 plus packing and postage.
North American readers might find it easier and cheaper to order this book from The Net Loft. Delivery will be faster, too.
